I would like to
express my sincere congratulations, and those of my
delegation, to you, Madam President, on your election
as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first
session.
My delegation wishes to commend Secretary-
General Kofi Annan for the leadership and courage he
has displayed during his tenure at the helm of the
Secretariat. Secretary-General Annan assumed office at
a time when the United Nations was facing severe
criticism and its very relevance was being questioned.
His dedication and professionalism have contributed
significantly towards enhancing the efficiency and
credibility of our Organization and its Secretariat. His
initiatives to promote the development agenda of the
United Nations have been of crucial importance, in
particular to Africa. As the Secretary-General prepares
to relinquish his office in the next few weeks, we thank
him warmly and wish him well in all his future
endeavours.
Since our last annual meeting, several ongoing
conflicts have remained unresolved and new ones have
emerged. The situation in the Middle East continues to
be a major preoccupation for the international
community. While violence is still raging in Iraq and
peace still eludes the Palestinian people, the recent
conflict involving Israel and Hizbullah has not only
cost so many innocent lives but has also resulted in the
wanton destruction of vital infrastructure within
Lebanon. Now that the guns have finally fallen silent,
we urge all concerned in this unnecessary month-long
conflict to abide fully by the provisions of Security
Council resolution 1701 (2006) and to settle their
outstanding issues through United Nations mediation.
There seems to be a unanimous view in the world
today that the Middle East remains the epicentre of
global insecurity and instability. Global peace and
prosperity will remain an elusive dream unless and
until the international community stretches all its
diplomatic sinews to create conditions for lasting peace
in the region. Mauritius strongly believes that a fair
and final peace settlement in the Israel-Palestine
conflict rests in the early implementation of the
existing road map that has been endorsed by the
international community.
We reiterate our support for an independent and
sovereign Palestinian State existing side by side with
the State of Israel.
The situation in Darfur remains a matter of
serious concern not only to us in Africa but to the
international community as a whole. We are confident
that Security Council resolution 1706 (2006) has the
capacity to lend strong support to the efforts already
deployed by the African Union to put an end to that
crisis.
Terrorism continues to be a major disruption for
peace and development. The recent adoption of
resolution 60/288 — the United Nations Global
Counter-Terrorism Strategy — sends a clear message
that terrorism is unacceptable no matter who commits
it, no matter where it takes place and no matter what
the reason. Mauritius unreservedly condemns terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations. But let us not
delude ourselves into thinking that we can address the
scourge of terrorism without addressing its root causes.
Fifteen years ago, the Assembly initiated
discussions on the reform of the Security Council.
Numerous proposals have been made since then. Each
proposal, whatever its merits, has met determined
resistance from some members defending their own
narrowly defined interests. It is unacceptable that the
African and Latin America and the Caribbean regions
are not represented in the permanent membership of
the Security Council. It is also morally and politically
unacceptable that the world’s most populous
democracy is still denied a seat as a permanent member
of the Council. It is imperative that a reformed Security
13 06-53317
Council should include India among its permanent
members.
The establishment of the Human Rights Council
constitutes a significant step in the implementation of
our common reform agenda. That new organ of the
General Assembly should perform efficiently so as to
establish itself as a credible universal institution for the
promotion and protection of human rights. My
delegation would like to thank the General Assembly
for electing Mauritius as one of the 47 members of the
Council at the elections held earlier this year. We will
do our utmost for the universal promotion and
protection of human rights in accordance with the
mandate conferred upon the Council by the Assembly.
The multilateral approach to disarmament has
been on the back burner for some time. It is
unfortunate that little progress has been achieved in
respect of strengthening the foundations of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Mauritius supports the aim of the total elimination of
all nuclear weapons on the basis of a comprehensive
and non-discriminatory disarmament regime.
My delegation wishes to draw the attention of the
Assembly to the fact that, 38 years after its
independence, Mauritius has still not been able to
exercise its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago,
including Diego Garcia. The Archipelago was excised
from the territory of Mauritius by the former colonial
Power to be subsequently used for military purposes
behind our back, in total disregard of Assembly
resolutions 1514 (XV) and 2066 (XX). That exercise
also involved the shameful displacement of the
inhabitants of the Chagos from their homeland, thereby
denying them their fundamental human rights.
International law must prevail, as must respect for the
sovereignty of all countries. We therefore call once
again on the United Kingdom to pursue constructive
dialogue in earnest with my Government, with a view
to enabling Mauritius to exercise its sovereignty over
the Chagos Archipelago.
We view positively the visit jointly organized by
the Governments of Mauritius and of the United
Kingdom in April this year to enable the former
inhabitants of the Chagos to visit the Archipelago for
the first time since their displacement to pay respects at
their relatives’ graves on the Archipelago.
We hope to continue meaningful dialogue with
France on the question of sovereignty over Tromelin,
given our excellent bilateral relations. We view the
agreement reached in Paris at the expert level in
January 2006 to set up a French-Mauritian joint
commission for the co-management of the Tromelin
zone as a positive first step.
My delegation is pleased that you, Madam
President, have chosen development as the focus of
your presidency. We welcome your proposal to
dedicate this session of the General Assembly to the
issue of implementing a global partnership for
development. The biggest dilemma is how to secure the
necessary financial flows towards developing
countries. We call on the international community to
honour commitments made to developing countries
concerning official development assistance. Equally,
we hope for conditions that will allow better access to
the markets of the more affluent countries to generate
resources for development.
Our meeting today coincides with the end of the
First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of
Poverty. The progress towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals, including halving the
proportion of people suffering extreme poverty by
2015, has been below expectations, as reflected in
human development indices. Poverty continues to
prevail from generation to generation in many parts of
the world, in particular in the sub-Saharan region. The
political, social and economic marginalization or
exclusion of poor people very often undermines the
stability and development potential of many countries.
Does that imply that conventional solutions have
failed because they do not really address the root
causes of persistent poverty? Or is it because instead of
taking a bottom-up approach we have adopted a top-
down approach, relying too much on the trickle-down
effect? The fight against poverty is becoming more and
more complex. Only a holistic and comprehensive
approach will allow us to push back the frontier of the
misery, conflict and hardship that afflict such a
sizeable proportion of humankind.
In our own subregion, we have initiated measures
to address the issue of poverty in earnest. At the recent
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
summit, held in Lesotho in August, we debated the
issue of poverty alleviation. An extraordinary SADC
summit on regional integration, scheduled for next
month, will discuss a road map on poverty and
development.
06-53317 14
There is an almost symbiotic relationship
between poverty and ill health, with disease often
further impoverishing the poor and impacting
negatively on the stock of scarce human capital in poor
countries. Apart from malaria, HIV/AIDS and
tuberculosis — and now avian flu — which are getting
a lot of attention, other vector-borne diseases have
manifested themselves, and are growing in an
exponential manner.
The alarming rate with which the HIV/AIDS
pandemic is ravaging our populations has far-reaching
implications for our socio-economic development. It
impedes our global efforts to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals. We appreciate the political
commitment of the international community to combat
this scourge so as to bring solace to those already
afflicted and to prevent the further spread of the
disease. Mauritius promptly and spontaneously joined
the innovative financing mechanism initiated by France
and Brazil to introduce a solidarity levy on air tickets
to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The
launching this week of UNITAID — the International
Drug Purchase Facility — has aroused new hopes.
Climate change is yet another serious threat. For
too long, some of us have conveniently decided to
ignore it. In fact, well-known institutions and eminent
scientists have reached the conclusion that climate
change may be one of the biggest threats to
humankind. Of particular concern is the impact of
global warming on certain vectors of disease, leading
to their proliferation. It is estimated that in Africa, for
example, we may witness many more millions of cases
of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases as a
result of climate change.
Mauritius is fully committed to the successful
conclusion of the Doha Development Round. We look
forward to a multilateral trading system that will be
fair and equitable and that provides for the specific
situations and needs of small and vulnerable
economies. The recommendations of the World Trade
Organization Aid for Trade Task Force, submitted in
July 2006, should be implemented urgently to enable
countries, particularly those with small and vulnerable
economies, to access resources to undertake adjustment
and restructuring programmes and to enhance their
trade infrastructure and supply capacities.
Globalization does not seem to be living up to its
promises. We should not allow it to be a process that
unleashes the potential of the few while suppressing
the aspirations of the many. It will have to be tamed
into a development process that will provide an
opportunity to every single citizen of the world to
achieve his or her full potential.
Mauritius, like so many small island economies
with meagre resource bases, has had to adjust to the
realities and challenges of increasing liberalization and
global economic competition — especially the erosion
of trade preferences, which have so far helped in
addressing our inherent disadvantages. My
Government has embarked upon a programme of bold
and wide-ranging economic reforms to adapt to the
new realities of the international economy.
At the end of the day, what is the ultimate role
that each of us here has as heads of State and heads of
Government? We have been entrusted with the destiny
of our people and of our countries. We are but
temporary custodians of the welfare of our people and
that of humankind. If we really want to build better
societies and a better world for future generations, we
must indeed make a significant dent on the issue of
poverty. We must channel significant resources and
energy towards reaching the Millennium Development
Goals. And we must ensure that we create stable and
sustainable societies.
To achieve that, we can no longer afford to
simply keep talking about noble intentions. We must
walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Each one of us
here has the responsibility to implement national
policies that provide opportunities for those who have
always been deprived of their human dignity as a result
of living perpetually on the margins of the socio-
economic mainstream.
My Government is guided by the notion of
citizenship with dignity as a moral compass for action.
We believe that socio-economic justice is a
fundamental pillar of human dignity. We are therefore
determined to provide concrete opportunities to the
economically disenfranchised, in order to lift them out
of the vortex of unjust economic inequalities. I have
always upheld the ideals of social justice. I have
therefore ensured that my Government dedicates no
less than 12 per cent of our last national budget to an
ambitious empowerment programme. That programme
is funded by State and non-State actors, thereby
heralding a new partnership for development in my
country. It will provide tangible avenues for the poor
15 06-53317
and unskilled to equip themselves with the tools
necessary for them to join the economic mainstream. It
also seeks to create a new and flourishing class of
entrepreneurs. That is one of the effective and concrete
ways by which we can truly ensure that we widen the
circle of opportunities.
(spoke in French)
Resolving the problems to which I have referred
to a large extent requires openness, responsiveness,
dialogue and solidarity. We in Mauritius have the good
fortune of being situated in a major crossroads as far as
philosophies and religions are concerned. The history
of the settlement of our islands has made that the case.
We are the children of several traditions. Our identity
has been shaped by various influences, from the East,
West, North and South. Numerous ethnic groups,
cultures, religions and languages have been evolving in
our territory, and we are endeavouring to ensure that
they enrich each other. We seek the commingling of
cultures, which provides us Mauritians with a complex
and dynamic identity. We believe that that is the best
way to build a nation and to assert ourselves. As one
can imagine, that situation requires ongoing vigilance
on the part of political, religious and media leaders as
well as rigorous and transparent application of the
principles of justice.
We would like to believe that the experience of
Mauritius can be applied at the international level. We
also hope that dialogue between peoples and
communities and communication between heads of
State and Government will bring about the end of the
disagreements that are today undermining our world,
which is the only one we have.